The preservation and dying of plant material is a well known process. Because simply drying plant material leaves it brittle and easily destroyed, a preservation process is often used to render the plant more durable for use in decorative arrangements. Often, dyes are also added to enhance or replace the natural color of the plant material for aesthetic reasons.
One known method for preserving plant material involves the use of the plant's own water and nutrient transport system, the xylem. The xylem transports water and dissolved minerals throughout the plant while it is growing, and for a time after the plant is severed from its root system. Once a plant has been severed from its root system, a preservative solution can be introduced by simply exposing the cut xylem to a preservative solution. The preservation solution then replaces the fluids which were supplied to the xylem by the root system. The preservative solution can contain a variety of components selected to preserve the plant's tissues. This known preservation method results in the systemic replacement of the plant material's natural internal fluids with a preservative solution. The preservative solution can also include the coloring of the plant material by adding a dye to the preservative solution.
Several problems arise when preserving plant material using this known method. The plants which are to be preserved and/or dyed must be harvested and transported to a processing location, often resulting in damage to the stem, trunk, stalk or vine of the plant. Moving a plant, especially a vine plant, causes trauma to that plant. Moving a plant can change the configuration of the plant. A plant's configuration is the spatial relationship between its individual branches and vines. Changing the configuration of the plant results in the crimping, kinking or damage to plant tissues. This damage impedes the uptake of preservatives and/or dye solutions.
"Uptake" is a term referring to the infusion of a preservative solution into a plant. "Uptake" is a relative term, without specific units of measure. A plant "uptakes" a solution, meaning the plant pulls the solution from a container into the tissues of the plant.
The orientation of each part of a plant, including leaves and flowers, is naturally controlled by the plant in response to its environment. This environment includes neighboring plants and leaves, sun and shade. Changing the orientation of the plant causes trauma to the plant, and significantly reduces the xylem's efficiency in transporting fluid through the plant.
At a minimum, the careful transport of larger plants to a processing facility for treatment is awkward and time consuming. Transport also results in trauma to the plant due to the change in orientation of the plant which slows the uptake of preservative solution. More importantly, transport results in changes in the plant's configuration which impedes the uptake of preservative solution.
Prior methods fail to address the support of the plant material to be preserved to maintain the configuration and orientation of the plant to facilitate the preservation process. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,890 to Tiedeman et al., teaches only the preservation of self supporting plants and shrubs, such as palms and baby's breath. For the varieties listed in Tiedeman et al. '890, the support of the plant material is not critical to the preservation process. A method is needed that enables the preservation of larger vines, trees and shrubs that require support to facilitate and enhance the preservation process.
There are situations where damage to the plants' internal structures impedes the uptake of preservative solutions. One method currently used in those situations has been to apply these solutions directly to the plant tissues. This requires large quantities of solution sufficient enough to totally immerse the plant or plant segments, resulting in added expense and waste. Another current method has been to cut the plant material into segments, or only preserve smaller cuttings, flowers or branches.
These methods increase the number of sites for absorbing the preservative solution, and minimize the distance preserving and coloring solutions must travel through tissues. However, larger displays of preserved plants require intact and entire plants. These prior methods cannot supply plant material for this demand. These prior methods also use more labor to accomplish this unsatisfactory result.
The preservation of hop plants presents particular challenges due to the unwieldy size and shape of the plant. The hop plant, Humulus lupulus, grows on a network of trellises, lattice works, poles, strings and wires which are employed for support. Hop plants typically attain heights of eighteen to twenty feet. The vertically winding stems of hop plants are generally referred to as bines in the hop growing industry. The predominantly horizontal branches from the main bines are referred to as laterals. The female hop cone is at present commercially desirable solely for its lupulin and essential oils, which are used as a flavoring in beer. Hops, an integral ingredient in beer, provide flavor and act as a bacteriostat. Bacteriostats inhibit the growth of undesirable bacteria and mold. Hop plants and have not been preserved for ornamental purposes.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists for a method that preserves plant material without first injuring the plant material during harvest and transport of the plant material to a processing location.
A related need exists for a method that includes the introduction of a preservative solution into a plant, severed from its root system, performed in a manner that maximizes the uptake of the preservative solution.
A related need exists for a preserved hop plant.
A need also exists for a dye to be added to the preservative solution for the preservation and dyeing of the hop plants and plant material.